The Junior All Whites will play Colombia in the under-20s World Cup round of 16 after losing their final pool game 2-0 to Uruguay this morning.
With both sides already qualified for the knockout stages with wins over fellow Group C nations Norway and Honduras, both coaches opted to rest many of their starters for today's match.
New Zealand coach Des Buckingham made nine changes to his starting XI for the match while Uruguay's Gustavo Ferreyra made eight adjustments.
The changes appeared to set the tempo of the game, with both sides slow to start in the fixture at Lodz Stadium in Poland. The game was slowed even further when Junior All Whites midfielder Trevor Zwetsloot was stretchered off early in the match with an apparent knee injury after a Uruguay player landed on him awkwardly.
It meant usual captain Joe Bell was injected into the line-up despite plans to probably rest for the match ahead of their knockout game on Monday.
Uruguay managed to take the lead before halftime thanks to Darwin Nunez with the Junior All Whites defence caught napping inside their box.
The Kiwi side didn't roll over, though - determined to push for at least a draw as the result would've also meant they'd finish top of the table.
But it all came undone when Uruguay sub Brian Rodriguez scored in extra-time to cement the win and send the Junior All Whites to a clash with Group A second seed, Colombia.
That clash will also play out at Lodz Stadium and will be the Junior All Whites' third-straight attempt at progressing to the final eight after round of 16 losses to Portugal in 2015 and the US in 2017.
Monday's game kicks off at 6.30am NZT.
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